A conventional surface covering system in an interior building environment includes a plurality of grid members, which are suspended from a building infrastructure to form a support framework. Panel members, such as acoustical fiberboard panels, are typically placed into, and are supported by, the support framework. Recent building trends, however, have been moving away from this type of conventional surface covering system. Specifically, surface covering systems have evolved to include the ability to mount open ceilings (e.g., open plenums) and suspended ceilings in areas where the height of the surface covering system needs to be minimized. For example, one known solution is to mount the panel members to an underside of the support framework, for example, through a clip attached to the support framework. The clip may be for example, a scissor clip having a base with mechanically moveable arms that are rotated from an open position to a closed position to lock the clip onto the support framework. Alternatively, the clip may have arms formed from folded end portions of the clip whereby the clip is rotated about the support framework to engage the arms with the support framework to lock the clip thereto.
Because the aforementioned clips require operating moving elements or rotating the clip about the support framework in order to attach the clips to the support framework, the clips are difficult to install and installation errors are thereby more likely. It is therefore desirable to develop an attachment system for attaching a panel member to a support structure wherein the attachment member is easy to install and errors in installation are less likely.